The Wilson College Athletics Department is pleased to name Joanna Hayes as the first head coach of both the women’s and men’s cross country programs. She will immediately prepare for both programs’ debut in the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III and the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) beginning in the fall of 2013.

Fans gathered in the Frank E. Gannett Memorial Field House to watch the Phoenix play in the last basketball game of the season on Sun, Feb. 17 against SUNY IT. The team was coming off of a win against Penn State Harrisburg on Fri, Feb. 15. The game Friday night came down to the wire, and fans were eager to see a repeat on Sunday.

The Athletics Department announced they had changed the tennis team’s status from a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) varsity team sport to a club sport on Aug. 4, 2011, after reviewing the athletic programs and the budget.

Three members of the Huntseat Team showed at the Regional competition on Sat, March 17 at Briarwood Farms in Flemington, Nj. The show determined who qualified for the Zone Competition, which is determined by different regions competing against one another to achieve first place.

A school’s mascot is a symbol of its sports team and central to team spirit. The Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is looking for new students, faculty or staff members to be the Phoenix mascot for this spring season.

Cheers filled Ithaca College’s Ben Light Gymnasium as music blared from the speakers on Sat, March 10 at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Gymnastics Championship. Seven collegiate gymnastics teams from the North East region competed at the event including the Wilson gymnastics team.

The gymnastics team had their first and only home meet of the season on Sun, Feb. 5. The Phoenix competed against the Ithaca College Bombers and held second place with a combined score of 145.60. The event took place in the Gannett Field House, where 50 plus guests sat on the bleachers cheering the Wilson Phoenix team.

With the beginning of the spring semester comes start of lacrosse. Lacrosse has seven returning players, and six new players who will make their start this season. Many of these newer players have little to no experience with the sport, but are willing to learn and contribute as much as they can to the team.

This season the Phoenix softball team looks to get to the next level: qualifying for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship. After winning in the North East Athletic Conference (NEAC) last season, the team believes NCAA is within reach.

Cheers filled the gym as the basketball swished through the net during Tara Fields ‘13 second foul shot. The referees called a brief time-out so Fields could be honored for her achievement. Fields and her friends, who wore white tops and pants for the "white out," cheered and the white wave of Wilson spectators cheered with them.

This year's five gymnastics team consists of only five gymnasts, but say they are ready to persevere throughout the coming season. The Phoenix gymnastics are: Whitney Hawkins ‘12, Jenny Miller ‘15, Caileigh Oliver ‘14, and captains Mandy Grahn ‘13 and Alexandre Howard ‘13.

At the beginning of November, the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) announced their All-Conference women’s soccer teams for the 2011 season. Courtney Bernecker '14 was named to the All-Conference Second Team as a midfielder.

While practice officially started on Oct. 15, many players were unable to begin practice until the end of October because of conflicts with fall sports. However, players have been practicing hard to work together as a team. Head Basketball Coach Angela Grove praised her players for their hard work, and sees them learning more with every practice.

Ashley "Stick" Kisner joins the Wilson Phoenix as the Assistant Field Hockey Coach and Athletic Event and Facility Manager. Kisner comes from Duncannon, Pennsylvania where she started her field hockey career, as well as played basketball, softball, and track and field.

In 2006, when the current Leading with Confidence fundraising campaign was being created, there were plans to build a new athletics facility. Those plans have been scrapped, leaving athletes and the athletic staff to outgrow current facilities.

Wilson Athletics took the opportunity this year and added two "players" to their staff. Both Beth Weixel (soccer and lacrosse) and NikolaGrafnetterova (sports promotion and management) are familiar faces up at the Field House. They are new to the athletic department's staff, and both women are are extremely excited.

Junior transfer, Amelia (Mia) Doyle (Smithsburg, MD/HCC) defeated two-time defending champion Megan McGowan of Keuka College to earn the victory at number one singles. She entered the tournament seeded second and defeated Lauren Hall from Penn State Harrisburg (6-2, 6-3) in the semifinals.

"Dream it, believe it, achieve it" was the slogan at the beginning of the Phoenix softball season with a long term goal of heading to the final four championships for the NEAC. The softball has dreamed it, believed it and now have achieved it. On Friday, April 30, the softball team will be playing Keuka College for a top seat in the conference. The team, however, would not be heading to Keuka, New York without the recognition of their accomplishments over the season.

The gymnastics team looks forward to a new season. They have seven meets this year including two home meets on Jan. 15 and 29. As the first meet rapidly approaches, the team works hard to nail down their routines.

Over the past four years the Phoenix basketball team made major improvements, and seniors Alaina Hofer and Megan Dennis have been a huge part of that. This season the team finished with five wins and 20 losses. Many games were very close with the Phoenix only losing by a couple points. The future for the team shows great promise, but the seniors presence will be missed.

The Wilson Phoenix basketball team has persisted through several tough losses, both on the court and on the bench. The majority of the season the Phoenix just could not finish with the win, though there were many close games. Although the team struggled, they did not lose their fire and passion for the game. After many tough practices and with a persistent coaching staff, the Phoenix basketball team demonstrated their heart and dedication.

The Phoenix basketball team had many games since the beginning of the season in November. They played several North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) games as well as few non-conference opponents. Anybody who has had the chance to come watch any of these games can confirm that this year's team has advanced dramatically.

At the Regional Women's Gymnastics Championships, Alex Howard qualified for the National Championship competition as an all-around competitor. Several other gymnasts achieved career high scores at the competition as well.

The gymnastics team continues with their successes of last season. At their first meet versus Ursinus, they posted a 166.625 team score, only two points lower than Phoenix's average team score from last season. At the third meet versus Rhode Island, although Wilson had a lower team score, they beat RIC by four points.

The whistle blew at 7:00pm on Mon, Nov. 15 at the Gannett Memorial Field House, drawing attention to the beginning of the Phoenix basketball season. The Wilson Phoenix, coached by Angela Grove and Kelly Buikus, are poised to compete with 13 players. The team has seven returners and six new freshmen.

After a review of the athletic program and the financial support available from the college to fund those programs, we have decided to change women’s tennis from varsity status to club status beginning fall 2011.